Hanoi may evacuate 14,000 households due to heavy rains

HANOI (July 31): Hanoi has seen the death of two children, and over 1,000 houses badly flooded, and is now considering evacuating over 14,000 households.

Recent heavy rains plague the flood-prone district, reported Reuters. 

The water level at the Bui River, 20 km (12 miles) from downtown Hanoi, has risen to an “alarming level”, and threatens nearby villages, Reuters quoted a statement from the Hanoi People’s Committee, published on its website on Tuesday.

“The authorities must stand by around the clock to ensure the safety of local people and their properties,” committee chairman Nguyen Duc Chung said in the statement.

“We must be prepared for the worst-case scenario,” said the statement from the committee, which functions as the city’s executive branch, or mayoral office.

Some 4,000 people have already been evacuated, reported the wire.

Vietnam’s National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting says that the rains are expected to abate on Wednesday. 

The rainy season ends early October, more flooding is expected in the coming months.